Chair



L. LARSEN April 16, 1-935.

CHAIR Filed Aug. 5, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l fidizion' Lea/1'5 Lame/z,

Kim/- 75% L. LARSEN April 16, 1935.

CHAIR Filed Aug. 3, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jzdzzfi n' Levis Laraezz,

Patented Apr. 16, 1935 i Q 1,998,089

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR Lewis Larsen, -Menominee, Mich assignor to Heywood-Wakefield Company, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 3, 1932, Serial No. 627,314 4 Claims. (01. 155-55),

This invention relates to improvements in ing'action of the seat frame'may be easily set up chairs, and it consists of the matters hereinafter by the'occupant. described and more particularly pointed out in Referring now in detail to that embodimentof the appended claims. I the invention, illustrated in'the drawings: I in- The primary object of the invention is to prodicates as a whole. a substantially rectangular 5 Vide a chair which is indeed comfortable for the horizontally disposed chair frame or base which occupant and in which the seat is mounted for includes side rails 2-2 and front and rear rails a teetering action with respect to the chair frame 3 and 4 respectively; suitably mounted at the cor- I a or base. ners upon front and rear pairs of supporting legs Another object of the invention is to provide a 5 of y suitable ha acte As s ow r 10 chair wherein the front end of the seat frame the rear rail 4 is in the form of a bar disposed at is pivotally connected to the chair frame or base, an elevation lower-than. that of the front rail and while the rear end of said seat frame is pendently Which bar connects the legs of the real P supported from said chair frame or base by elasget r a tic or flexible means, whereby the occupant may Associated with the chair frame is a substan- 15 readily set up an easy and comfortable teetering lly e a a a frame Of a Width and or rocking action of the seat frame. depth from front to rear, a trifle less than that A further object of the invention is to provide of the chair frame. Said seat frame includes a chair, wherein the rear end of the s t frame side rails 'il'and front, intermediate and rear is pendently supported at its rear end by flexible rails 8, 3 and H3 respectively. Parallel with said 2:0

or elastic means formed to provide the arm rests Side rails are bars 1 i for the support of the coiled for the chair. springs 12 for the seat cushion 13 when such a The above mentioned objects of the invention, frame is intended to supp an upholstered 563$- as well as others, together with the many ad- N r y e a frame is so disposed with vantages thereof, will more fully appear as I respect to the chair frame that'the front rail :5

proceed with my specification. of the seat frame overhangs but is spaced only In the drawings: I slightly above the front rail of the chair frame. Figure l is a perspective view of a chair em- Each side rail of the seat frame is spaced a bodying the preferred form of the invention; short distance inwardly from the plane of the Figure2 is alongitudinal vertical sectional View associated Side rail of t e Chair frame. bU=

through the same as taken on the line 2-2 of Associated with the rear end of the seat frame Figure 3; is a back rest M which includes a suitably shaped Figure 3 is a bottom view, in elevation of the frame, including horizontally disposed top, inimproved chair, with the legs which form a part termediate and bottom bars I5, l6, l1 and up-' of the chair frame or base shown in section; right side bars 18-18 respectively. When so Li.) Figuree is adetail transverse vertical sectional desired the back rest may be upholstered to view on an enlarged scale through a part of accord with the seat. theimproved chair as taken on the line 4-4 of To support the back rest with respect to the Figure 3; and seat there is provided a pair of L-shaped straps Figure 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional View l9l9, each having a part 20 secured ti) on t Scale f Figure 4 through a part, f the underside of the rear and intermediate rails of improved chair as taken on the line 5-5 of Figthe frame and each having Part ure tending upwardly at the rear side of the back he bottom and in- In general, my improved chair comprises a rest frame seemed to t suitable chair frame or base and a seat frame, termedlate mus and thereof By means G of said L-shaped straps, the back rest while the latter carryin a back rest flame. The seat suitably supported from the seat frame is frame which may be suitably upholstered is 1 f pivotally mounted at each side toward the front i g g g forward and rearward yleld from the chair frame. Said seat frame is also on the inner face of each Side rail of the pendently supported at each side toward the rear chair f e near its front end is an inwardly from the chair frame or base by elastic means ff t strap 22. To each strap 22 is pivoted the thereon and which means in this instance, is so b tt d of li k 23, the to end of which arranged as to form the arm rests for the chair is fixed to an associated side rail of the seat as a whole. When the seat is occupied, a teeterframe as best shown in Figure 5. By this arrangement, the seat frame is pivotally supported from the chair frame upon an axis disposed to the rear of and below the top of the front rail of the seat frame.

On each side rail of the seat frame at its rear end is fixed an outwardly offset strap 24 whereby the rear end of the seat frame is pendently supported from a point above the seat by means later to be described and including an elastic or flexible member.

To coact with said straps 24 in elastically sup: porting the rear end of the seat frame from above, I provide means which may also function as the arm rests for the chair. At each side of the chair I provide a U-shaped spring member including top and bottom legs 25-26 connected together at the front end by a semicircular bend 21. Each spring member ispreferably made from flat spring stock bent to suitable shape and the bottom leg 26 of each member is fixed to the top edge of an associated side rail 2 of the chair frame as by means of through. bolts. Each leg 25 sweeps rearwardly in. a shallow reverse curve, and fixed to the rear end. thereof. is an L-shaped clipf28 to which the-top1 end of a normally perpendicular link 291is pivoted. The bottom end of said link is pivotally: connected to an associated strap 24 before mentioned on the rear end of each ,side.

railof the seatframe. Preferablybut not necessarily so, the top leg of each U-shaped. side member has an arm rest finishing member 30 secured to its top side and extending substantially the full length thereof.

It is pointed out that the arm rests 30 which are suitably secured to the members 24", also rigidifiesthe same so that the flexing takes place where intended and namely, at the bends 21..

When the chair is occupied, it is apparent that a substantial amount of weight of the occupant is imposed near the rear of the seat frame. Thus by a movement well-known the occupant can set up a teetering action in the chair, the arm rests flexing in the bends 21 to allow such movement and which movement is comfortable and restful for the occupant. While the armrest members permit such a teetering action, the top legs 25 thereof have only a limited longitudinal movement if any at all, but such movement is not sufficientto permit any forwardly and. rearwardly shucking of the seat frame with respect to the chair frame or base. Thus while the seat is unoccupied it is quite stable butwhen occupied, may be readily teetered to the enjoyment of the occupant.

All of the parts permitting such teetering movement except the arm rests are so arranged as to. be substantially concealed from view so that, when the chair is unoccupied, there is nothing to visibly indicate that it is capable of ateetering action. Thus while the chair is made for comfort, it readily fits in with other furniture without detracting from the appearance of the same.

While in describing the invention, it has been set forth as embodied in a chair but this is to be considered only as illustrative as it also may be embodied in other articles of furniture and therefore I do not wish to be limited thereto, except as may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1.- A chair or like article of furniture embodying therein, a base and a seat, means for pivotally connecting one end of the seat to said base, a horizontally disposed U-shaped spring 'having top and bottom legs connected together atone end, one leg of each spring being fixed to each side of said base and the other leg of each spring being disposed in a plane above the seat and a link-having pivotal connections with the other end of said other leg of eachspring and with the opposite end of the seat respectively.

.2. A. chair or like article of, furniture em-. bodying therein a base and a seat, means for pivotally connecting the front end of the seat to said base, a spring member mounted on each side of. the base and including a rearwardly extending flexible portion disposed above its associated side of the seat and a link pivotally connected at one end to the rear end of said rearwardly extending portion of each spring member, said links each being pivotally connected at its other end with the rear end of the seat.

3. A chair or like article of furniture embodying-therein a seat and a base, means pivotally connecting the front end of the seat to said base, a substantially U-shaped spring member at each side of the base and each including top and bottom, rearwardly extending spring arms one fixed to an associated-side member of the base and the other spaced above said side member and links, one between the free end of each rearwardly extending top spring arm and, the rear end of the seat and pivotally connected to the latter.

4. A chair or like article of furniture embodying therein a base and a seat, means for pivotally connecting the front end of the seat to said base, a spring member mounted on each side of the base and including a rearwardly extending portion disposed above its associated side of the base, means operatively connecting the rear end of said rearwardly extending portion of both spring members with the rear end of the seat, arm rest members supported on said spring members and a back rest member supported from the seat at the rear end thereof in a manner permitting a limited amount of forward and rearward movement.

LEWIS LARSEN. 

